Mount Pleasant Rec Department weekly track spotlight, May 15

Each week, the Moultrie News and Mount Pleasant Recreation Department will feature one local track and field athlete participating in the department. Paul Kowalchick, 11, participates in shot put, discus and 400-meter run events with the Mount Pleasant Track Club. Kayla Kirland, 9, participates in shot put and the 800-meter and 1500-meter races with the club.

Question: If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be?

Paul Kowalchick: I think it would be great to be the CEO of Universal Studios in Orlando. I’d shut down the park for one day and let all my friends in for free.

Kayla Kirland: Someone who works for Petco.

Q: What is your favorite Mount Pleasant restaurant?

PK: I like any place that serves chicken and french fries, but my favorite is Brickyard Food & Spirits. They are right in my neighborhood and we go there almost every Saturday night after church.

KK: Wild Wings.

Q: What is the best moment in your athletic career?

PK: That would be a toss-up between winning in the championships for football last year, placing third in the state and making the all-state wrestling team for my division. For track, it would be qualifying for regionals in my first year with the MPTC.

KK: When I checked the newspaper and found out I won the Cooper River Bridge Run for the second time in a row and had my best time.

Q: What is the best advice you have gotten from a coach?

PK: My dad is the best coach I’ve ever had, and he has taught me to always work hard and have a great attitude. I try to remember what he’s taught me, because it’s true in school, sports and life.

KK: Start sprinting at the curve, not the straightaway.

Q: What do you look forward to the most about being an adult?

PK: I want to have a job that makes me happy and rich. I can’t wait to drive. I want to get my own dog and ride around in an awesome car.

KK: To go wherever whenever.

Q: What do you think are the most difficult and most fun aspects of track?

PK: The hardest thing about track for me is the running. It’s not just how we train, it’s a huge part of our practice time. There are no games that we play for fun or scrimmage and drills. We just run and run and you have to be disciplined. The most fun part of track is trying to perfect my shot put technique so that I can throw farther.

KK: The most difficult aspect is the last 100 yards and the most fun is that it is a fun challenge.

Q: What is your movie and TV show?

PK: My favorite movie is “Jurassic Park III” and the TV show I like is “River Monsters.”

KK: Movie: “Oz the Great and Powerful” and TV show: “America’s Funniest Videos.”

Q: If you could have dinner with any three people who would you choose?

PK: I think it would be cool to have dinner with Jesus, Da Vinci and Fat Albert. There are a lot of questions that I’d like to ask, and I think they would make very interesting dinner guests. I can only imagine the conversations.

KK: Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and Darius Rucker.

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